Langdyke Trust Fungal Foray Autumn 2010

Around 40 members and guests took part in a thoroughly enjoyable Fungal Foray walk on Oct 31st. Event Leader Richard Keymer made a good decision not to trample through Bainton Heath where specimens were sparse, but to visit Castor Hanglands.

Entering at the track halfway along the Castor Road on the SE side, the group fanned out into the fairly open coppiced Hazel + Oak woodland, with a mixed long grass and leaf-mould floor. At first sight, little was to be seen amongst the autumn brown leaf litter, but this was confounded as the group “got their eye in”. Many specimens were discovered and identified as Richard and Mick Beeson had several reference books to hand. For me, the most eye-opening characteristic was the range of colour and form in the fungi - covering bright blue/green, dark ruby red, jet black and bright yellow. Pictured below are some of the finds. If you went on the walk and have other photos, please make contact or add them into the comments.

Finally none of the specimens were adjudged poisonous (as opposed to the death-cap found in The Hanglands earlier - see the LCT Autumn Report); in fact two were described as “edible, excellent flavour”. Please would those brave enough to have taken specimens away for cooking (parasol mushrooms, blewits…) pass on news of the outcome! Personally I am still looking for local chanterelles!



Parasol Mushroom
Macrolepiota procera
Common in open woods
Edible, excellent

Magpie Inkcap
Coprinus Picacens
frequent
Alkaline soil, usually beechwoods

?? Waxcap
Hygrocybe conica (or hygrophorous conica)
Very commom

Parasol Mushroom
Macrolepiota procera
Common in open woods
Edible, excellent






Stump Puff Balls
(Pear puff balls)
growing on fallen oak branch
Lycoperdon pyriforme
Very common

Field Blewit (foreground right)
Lepista Saeva
Frequent
Edible - excellent
Others
Wood mushrooms
Agaricus silvicola
Frequent in all kinds of woodland
Edible (not great flavour)



Cramp Balls
(King Alfreds Cakes)
Daldinia Concentrica
Very common
Almost exclusive to ash trees
(an old charm against cramp)

Laquered Bracket (Stalked Ganoderna)
Ganodernum lucidum
Bracket fungus with a stalk!
Red, then purple brown to black
Occasional - Roots of deciduous trees - all year
(you can just see the oak tree root at the point of attachment)
The stem is used for medicinal purposes in China

?? Common (or Frosty?) Funnel
Clitocybe phyllophia or C gibba
Common in deciduous woods
(Frosty funnel has a wavier margin and smells sweetish - these smelt of aniseed/ almonds)
Edible

Stagshorn (Candlesnuff )
Xlaria hypoxylon
Very common
Growing out of moss-encrusted rotting timber









Green Elfcup
Chlorciberia aeruginasceus
Very common on fallen branches of deciduous trees, especially oak.
The wood is left stained blue-green. In former times this was then compressed with different woods to form a colour-banded veneer for marquetry, named Tunbridge Ware

Collared Earthstar
Geastrum Triplex
Found under hardwood trees (an oak in this case)
Frequent







Thanks to Jean for loaning the book Mushrooms by Roger Phillips (publisher PAN, ISBN 0330442376), from which these identifications were made - any mistakes are all mine!

Wellmore
Langdyke Trust
Nov 2010